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Folk on the Rocks is an incredible music festival that takes place in gorgeous Yellowknife. It has an amazing schedule spanning two full days and five stages. It is an incredible opportunity to discover new music and to visit another part of Canada’s beautiful landscape.

I have the unique opportunity of being able to visit Yellowknife from time to time, as I have a brother that is firmly entrenched up there. This will be my second time to the now 37 year old music festival – Folk on the Rocks (FOTR).

My first day at the event was on a bit of a tight schedule however; the single engine prop plane that was supposed to pick me up from the fly-in cabin and have me back in Yellowknife no later than 11:30am, showed up at 1pm.

Dene Drummers. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

So, after a quick hose-off and a change into something that didn’t smell like fish, off I went to catch the last bit of the Dene Drummers opening prayer for FOTR.

Folk on the Rocks has an amazing schedule spanning two full days and five stages. This includes a L’il Folkers stage for the young’uns as well. Several of the bands will play on at least two of those 5 stages throughout the weekend. So if you miss someone on day one, there is a really good chance to see them the next day on a different stage.

The Dead South. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

There was maybe a half dozen bands I didn’t get to see, so if you can’t find the band in my photos, I have included the 30+ artist lineup below for your Internet searching pleasure.

Top 5 picks-

Tanika Charles – Wow. Great performance, style and soul.

The Dead South – Unique sound mixing bluegrass, rock and folk.

The Trade-Offs – Great blues …from the Arctic.

Rosie and The Riveters – Love the retro 40’s feel and amazing vocals.

Earthbound Trio – East coast folk with a chill roots sound.

The Rest of ‘em-

SHAD

City and Colour

Jason Collett

Operators

The Pack A.D.

Elephant Stone

The Bushman NT

Megan Nash + Bears in Hazenmore

Digawolf

Chocolat

Moe Clark

Scary Bear Soundtrack

Earthbound Trio

Nadia Gaudet + Jason Burnstick

Ava Wild

Boots and The Hoots

Justin Nozuka

Rellik

Priscilla’s Revenge

Ukes of Hazard

Nick Jackson

Cynergii

Veronica Johnny

YK Throat Singers

Miraj featuring Taiga Yoga

Bella Dance Academy

NWT Creative Collective Special Showcase

Youth Showcase presented by Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife

Yellowknife Dene Drummers

There are a number of bands that were in competition for my top 5 choices, so please check out the others, if not all of them, when you get a chance.

Shad gave a good performance and energized the crowd that was there to see him – it just seemed out of place at a folk music festival. But to be fair – Ottawa’s Blues Fest hosts heavy metal bands, so who am I to judge.

Shad. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

City and Colour, a.k.a. Dallas Green, did a fine acoustic set. Maybe a bit slow, but the lounging crowd soaked it all in.

City and Colour. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

After Dallas, the Dene Drummers came out again to close out the festival with a drum prayer that had everyone stomping up clouds of dust. With that in mind, I would also like to point out the festival was originally on rocks, hence the name, but has since been covered over in this wonderful beach sand. It looks nice until you find yourself snorking it out of your nose 2 days later.

Yellowknife, Long Lake Beach. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Aside from the sand, it is an amazing event. You would be hard pressed to not find at least one new artist that you could fall in love with. Next year will predictably be the same, with lots of local talent and bands from across Canada that will undoubtedly grace these stages.

A visit to Yellowknife should be on your list of places to see as well. Not that you need an excuse with all of outdoor activities Yellowknife has to offer, but this festival just makes for a really good excuse to go.

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YK Throat Singers. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Yellowknife, Long Lake Beach. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Ukes of Hazard. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

The Trade Offs. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

The Dead South. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

The Bushman NT. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Tanika Charles. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Shad. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Scary Bear Soundtrack. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Rosie and the Riveters. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Operators. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Northcote. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Moe Clark. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Megan Nash. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Jason Collett. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Elephant Stone. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Earthbound Trio. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Digawolf. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Dene Drummers. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

City and Colour. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Chocolat. Folk on the Rocks 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Folk on the Rocks – A Folkin’ Good Time! Folk on the Rocks is an incredible music festival that takes place in gorgeous Yellowknife. It has an amazing schedule spanning two full days and five stages.

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In it’s 35th year, the Ottawa Dragon Boat festival is an attraction for outdoor music revellers, beach enthusiasts and competitive dragonboat racers. The best part – it’s free. So, for anybody that may have missed it this year, put it on your calendar for next year as a must see event!

Here is what you may have missed-

Day One

The Elwins: A great new band from Keswick, ON with a lot of fun, upbeat songs. They have a great stage presence and one of the best moustaches I have ever seen. Find them here- http://www.theelwins.com/.

Elwins, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Said the Whale: I first seen Said the Whale a number of years back at the Folk on the Rocks festival in Yellowknife, NT. They were very new back then with a very unique and interesting sound. With a bit of pop mixed with some west coast Canadian folk. Their style has remained much the same and I was excited to see them again. Although, I was a bit disappointed hearing them this year as I don’t think the venue fit their music very well. It seemed muted and not as fun as I recall, but we all have our bad days, so don’t let this stop you from giving them a listen. Find them here- https://www.saidthewhale.com/.

Said the Whale, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

The Sheepdogs: As expected. Hailing from Saskatchewan, these guys have gained popularity with their bluesy filled, rock/folk music and their country stylin’ appearance. It’s the type of music you want to hear loud at any outdoor (or indoor) music festival. The Sheepdogs filled the park with more Dragonboat festival goers than any other band this past weekend. Find them here- http://www.thesheepdogs.com/.

The Sheepdogs, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Day Two

Kalle Mattson: Not to be outdone by the cool temps and overcast, Kalle had some nice chill tunes to help bring in the crowd for the upcoming acts. His mellow tunes encouraged folks to pull up a piece of lawn and crack open that first cold one. Find Kalle here- http://www.kallemattson.com/.

Kalle Mattson, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

The Zolas: In some cases, a similar sound to Said the Whale, and 1 of several Vancouver based bands attending the Dragon Boat festival this year. The Zolas are fun and clearly love being in front of a crowd. I would be happy to see them again. Find the Zolas here- http://thezolasmusic.com/

The Zolas, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Dear Rouge: Danielle from Dear Rouge is like Steve Tyler meets Joan Jet. From the moment she hit the stage, it was all about the performance. I can’t wait to see where Drew and Danielle McTaggert go – they can only get bigger. Great modern rock sound – don’t miss Dear Rouge!

Dear Rouge, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Day Three

Twin Flames: A blend of modern folk and indigenous vibes. Twin Flames carry an amazing message of harmony and love for their community and the strong desire of expanding that community to reach every one that listens to their music. They call Ottawa home and like many of us that live in Canada, have a varied background of many different cultures. The strength of their values and desire to teach through their music should be embraced. You can find them here- https://www.twinflamesmusic.com/.

Twin Flames, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Kasador: What I would consider Canadian indie rock – if there was a poster, they would be on it. A blend of mellow guitar, great vocals and a fun beat. Fresh from Kingston, On and they only got together in 2015 – I look forward to more of their fine tunes. The only disappointing bit was that the upcoming bands clearly had more gear than the stage could handle so Kasador was smushed over to one side of the stage. They still made the most of it and did an outstanding performance. Find them here- http://www.kasadorband.com/.

Kasador, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

The Darcy’s: I am still not sure what to make of these guys. A two piece beach party with a lot of gear – this consisted of both a giant neon sign, a giant plastic lit palm tree and whatever gear you need to have a functioning air puppet on the stage. Yah, you know those things you see in front of used car lots waving around and popping up every 30 seconds… Props aside, they played some good tunes to welcome the sunshine back after a brief down pouring of rain. And here I have to give credit to the local Ottawa radio station, Live 88.5, for distributing some much needed rain ponchos. You can find more The Darcy’s here- http://www.thedarcys.ca/.

Darcy’s, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Half Moon Run: This band has really put a lot of thought into their light show. There was barely a moment when the stage was not dynamically changing through the effects of their lights – it was quite a feat. The crowd was not quite as big as it was for the Sheepdogs, but I think that may have been due to the risk of rain. And to be fair, it did rain earlier. I think their music was good, but I was memorized by the lights for most of the show – well… I was also trying to take pictures. Crazy light shows and photography don’t always mix, but when you do it right, you can get some pretty awesome shots. I would shoot performances like this all the time if I could. Find them here- https://www.halfmoonrun.com/.

Half Moon Run, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

That wraps up another year of music at the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival.

All of the photos you see in this article were taken by me and of course, you can me find me here on the interwebs- dalesinclair.ca or on Facebook- @dalesinclairphoto. Please take a moment and check out the below gallery containing more pics of Ottawa Dragon Boat festival 2017.